20-5-2024 (TEHRAN) Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister have been killed after their helicopter crashed in foggy mountainous terrain, a devastating blow to the Islamic Republic’s leadership, an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters on Monday.
The grim announcement followed a massive overnight search operation where hopes had increasingly faded that Raisi and his top diplomat could have survived the fiery wreckage discovered in northwestern Iran.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash…unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” the official told the news agency, requesting anonymity.
Rescue teams braving blizzard conditions had battled through the night to reach the remote crash site in East Azerbaijan province in the early hours of Monday.
“We can see the wreckage and the situation does not look good,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent relief agency, Pirhossein Kolivand, had told state TV after locating the downed chopper. “With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers.”
Another picture showing what’s left of president Raisi’s helicopter after it crashed into the mountain. https://t.co/wRHbXrjqOY pic.twitter.com/TwJ5ODXsky
— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) May 20, 2024
The 63-year-old hardline president was on an official visit to the sensitive border region with Azerbaijan when the US-made Bell 212 helicopter went down in heavy fog on Sunday afternoon.
Raisi’s departure represents a seismic shock for the Islamic Republic’s cleric-led system at a time of heightened tensions abroad and escalating domestic unrest over political, social and economic crises.
In the initial aftermath, Iran’s ultimate authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had moved to reassure the nation, stating “there will be no disruption in the country’s work” as concerns mounted over the fate of Raisi and his entourage.
The state broadcaster halted regular programming on Sunday to air live prayers from mosques across Iran as a massive multi-agency search mission was launched deploying aircraft, drones and elite Revolutionary Guard commandos.
“We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash,” a regional army commander stated as footage showed rescue teams trudging through blinding snow on treacherous terrain aided only by headtorches.
Several countries including the United States, China and Turkey offered condolences and assistance, with the EU activating its emergency satellite mapping service.
The White House confirmed President Joe Biden had been briefed on the crash amid soaring regional tensions since Iran’s Palestinian allies Hamas ignited a new Gaza war against Israel on October 7. The ensuing conflict has drawn in other Iran-aligned militia across the Middle East.
Domestically, Raisi’s hardline presidency faced widespread protests over the past year triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for alleged blasphemy against Islamic dress rules.
A former judiciary chief, Raisi had staked his legitimacy on restoring Iran’s sanction-hit economy and reviving the moribund 2015 nuclear deal after decades of enmity with the West.
However, Raisi’s uncompromising position in the collapsed Vienna talks and his backing of Tehran’s military support for Russia over Ukraine saw relations with world powers fray further during his tenure.
Crucially, the president was widely considered a potential successor to the 83-year-old Khamenei who, as Supreme Leader, wields ultimate power over all state matters including the nuclear programme.
With Raisi’s death, the conservative establishment loses a consummate insider firmly embedded in the governance of the Islamic Republic’s intricate theocratic system.
